ISWAP Commanders clash, kill each other after failed planned attack

Some fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operating in the Timbuktu Triangle have reportedly turned their weapons on one another following a disagreement over a planned attack.

Counter-terrorism expert Zagazola Makama disclosed the development in a post on his handle, alleging that rival commanders engaged in a deadly confrontation after a dispute over an operation scheduled for the previous night.

According to him, one of the commanders, identified simply as Abu Ali, refused to allow fighters under his command to participate in the planned attack.

The decision reportedly angered another senior commander, who accused Abu Ali of deliberately sabotaging the operation and questioned his loyalty to the group.

Makama said the confrontation was not an isolated incident but the result of weeks of growing tension among ISWAP commanders over operational decisions, dwindling resources and the management of logistics within the enclave.

He added that Abu Ali’s refusal to approve the operation merely exposed deeper grievances that had been building within the terrorist group, with rival commanders increasingly competing for influence, manpower and control of supplies.

The Timbuktu Triangle has long served as one of ISWAP’s major operational strongholds, housing commanders, training camps and logistics bases from which attacks are coordinated across parts of the Lake Chad Basin.

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